Is a Low-Fat Diet beneficial After 50 in women?
A study of 48,000 women ages 50 to 79 on a low fat diet and who were followed for eight years showed little statistical benefit in reducing their risks of heart disease and cancer. The study was published in the Journal of the American Association (JAMA) in early February. The conclusion, women who limited fat intake had basically the same rates of breast cancer, colon cancer, heart attacks and strokes as those who ate any foods they liked. However, a statistically insignificant decline in breast cancer was seen in women with lower fat intake. Some, such as Dr. Dean Ornish — founder of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, CA — disputed the study results. Dr. Ornish expressed the idea that the women failed to reduce their fat intake to low enough levels or eat enough fruits and vegetables. Eight years was insufficient time to be a true test, he said. Other prominent physicians reacted by saying that controlling the diet a woman eats is not enough. We m...